Technical Field
Embodiments disclosed herein are related to ophthalmic imaging systems. More specifically, embodiments described herein relate to automatically detecting structural features of the retina, such as retinal breaks, using optical coherence tomography (OCT).
Related Art
Structural defects in a patient's eye can lead to vision loss. For example, a retinal break can be a full-thickness defect in the neurosensory retina. A retinal break can be associated with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, which can induce severe loss of vision. Moreover, undetected retinal breaks are the most prevalent reason for failure in retinal detachment surgery.
Conventionally, retinal breaks have been detected through careful fundus examination by a surgeon during a surgical procedure, such as vitreo-retinal surgery. This can involve en face visualization and examination using a surgical microscope. The conventional approach can be limited in its ability to detect relatively small retinal breaks. Thus, a surgeon can continue or finish a surgical procedure without appreciating the presence and/or position of a retinal break.
Some attempts have been made to increase the visibility of retinal breaks. For example, a dye-extrusion technique can involve injection of trypan blue dye into the subretinal space. Such techniques, however, can complicate the surgical procedure and are not commonly used.
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be a noninvasive, high resolution cross-sectional imaging modality. Some efforts have been made to visualize the retina using OCT. However, these efforts have not involved automatic detection of retinal breaks.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved devices, systems, and methods that improve the ability to automatically detect structural features of the retina during a surgical procedure by addressing one or more of the needs discussed above.